Questions about a .32 Magnum

C

Civilian

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My mother in law is interested in having a home protection pistol. I am going to recommend either the SP101 with a 4" barrel in a .32 magnum. She wants a pistol with VERY little recoil, easy to use adjustable sights, and a small grip (my GP100 was a little too large for her to reach the trigger effectively)- but one that is effective for home protection. I would recommend a .38, but she does not like the fixed sights on the SP101. We will test a S&W K frame, but unless the grip is significantly smaller than my GP100, I don't think it will work. J frames kick too much to be considered.

Questions:
1. How effective is a .32 H&R magnum?
2. Is the grip on a K frame much closer to the trigger than a GP100?
3. Any other recommendations?
 
Comparison:
38 Spcl 110g +P 1000 fps 244 ft-lbs
38 Spcl 158g 850 fps 253 ft-lbs
32 Mag 85g 1000 fps 189 ft-lbs
32 Long 90g 750 fps 112 ft-lbs

These are generic figures you will find in any reloading book.

My experience is that women often pick small guns with small grips - until they fire them that is. Once they use them they realize that they are hard to shoot and always go to a med frame gun with med to large grips.
Also a 32 Mag is a loud load. This will do more harm than good to a non-shooter. A med frame 38 Spcl with non +P loads is my recommendation. After market rubber grips that fill the space behind the trigger guard are also recommended. I have trained many women with good results using this formula.
 
FWIW, Georgia Arms has a .32 Mag load that pushes a 100 gr. JHP at a nominal 1100 fps...considerably more "stout" than the Federal load...its very manageable in my three-inch SP101...which fits MY HAND very well with Hogue rubber Monogrips....mikey357
 
Considering that each caliber covers a range of power factors from 'wimp' to 'stout', it seems to me that for a woman's defense gun, the .38 SP101 is more versatile than the .32.
Loads available for the .38 range from an adequate and easy to shoot target wadcutter to almost-low-end-.357s. The .32 has just a few different loadings, from the inadequate Short and Long to the loud but not very potent H&R Mag.loadings.
The .32 H&R is a nice small game cartridge, but falls short of being effective on live targets over 30 lbs.
Get her a .38.
 
I think a SP101 in .32 Mag is an excellent choice. Significantly more powerful than a .380 ACP it packs about the same punch as plain vanilla .38 Spl. The perfect mother-in-law pistol if there ever was one. Revolvers are inherently easier for novices to master and they kick less than small autoloaders like a PPK or SIG 232 which are straight blow back designs and recoil fairly violently.

One suggestion I'd highly recommend is buying a $10 Hogue MonoGrip for the SP101. They're not any fatter but they are slightly longer and make it a lot easier to hold, point, shoot, and control the gun effectively. My wife likes the one I got on my .357 SP101.

Have your mother-in-law practice with some light stuff, then transition to full power loads. Maker sure she has very good hearing protection - both muffs and ear plugs, I can't stress to much how critical this is for new shooters. She should shoot at least 200 rds to become proficient, strech this over two or three trips to the range. Then 50 rds a year there after. Don't just have her buy it and let it sit in the night stand, have an annual "Family Qualification Day" each year and take her with you to the range.

UGH..... the thought of bonding with my mother-in-law at a gun range is starting to freak me out. I need a time out. Good luck. -- Kernel
 
Yes, HKS currently makes a speedloader for the .32 Mag SP101...the only downside is that, like all HKS loaders, they are SLOWWW....mikey357
 
Ditto the Monogrips like Kernel said. Probably the best damn aftermarket addition you can make to whichever one you decide on.
 
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